Pauper: Orzhov Rat - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

Modern Horizons 3 arrived at Magic Online, and with it, many players are starting to test the new cards and explore possibilities with the set.

Among them, one of the most talked about cards and considered the best non-banned common in MH3 is Refurbished Familiar.

Due to its interaction with Affinity, the new creature is already on the radar of players and PFP as a potential threat to the format, and, at the same time, other archetypes with well-established shells can take advantage of Refurbished Familiar in other ways, like the famous combination of Glint Hawk and Kor Skyfisher with ETB effects.

In this article, we explore one of these possibilities with Orzhov Rat, a Midrange deck aiming to extract maximum value from the new creature, mixing Skyfisher's core with other interactions with artifacts, such as Deadly Dispute and [[Tithing Blade ].

This is the list I've been using in Magic Online since the release of Modern Horizons 3.

There are some changes that can be made to the manabase and the number of draw effects available in the archetype. For example, Blood Fountain might sound a bit redundant next to Omen of the Dead and Thraben Inspector, and it's on the list because I prefer consistency in casting Refurbished Familiar or Glint Hawk.

Other changes can be applied to the Sideboard, where this version still considers the pre-MH3 Metagame to define which cards are included while also experimenting with Thraben Charm, whose results in a list with many creatures have been satisfactory and made it a staple, at least for this deck.

Maindeck

Our one drops that put artifacts into play.

Both Thraben Inspector and Novice Inspector are good early game blockers and can be reused with Kor Skyfisher or serve as fodder for Deadly Dispute and Eviscerator's Insight, greatly amplifying the use we have for them during the games.

Blood Fountain is a recursion that, at the same time, can filter our hand from bad topdecks, as well as allowing us to cast Refurbished Familiar for just one mana on the second turn.

Our value engine.

Kor Skyfisher and Glint Hawk are a classic combination in Pauper to add value to ETB effects, and star in a dozen archetypes in the current Metagame, including less artifact-oriented versions of Orzhov, in addition to the famous Boros Synthesizer.

Refurbished Familiar is a third flying creature that, in addition to having a disruptive effect, also works as a source of card advantage in matches where opponents tend to empty their hands. In my tests, it is excellent against decks that don't run Deadly Dispute, but its effects aren't relevant against archetypes with an abundance of draw effects.

Our permanents to return with Kor Skyfisher and Glint Hawk

Tithing Blade is less impactful in a Metagame where Kuldotha Red and Caw-Gates are among the best decks in the format, but it is still an artifact that impacts the board and can be reused with Glint Hawk or sacrificed with Deadly Dispute, as well as having another ability that can set a clock in longer games.

Lembas is the classic staple of this strategy and remains as useful here as in other lists. Its lifegain effect is essential for holding back Kuldotha Red while the top filtering helps a lot in attrition games.

Despite not being an artifact, Omen of the Dead has a strong interaction where we can use it to always return any number of Kor Skyfishers from our graveyard, and therefore deserves a slot.

Our draws.

Deadly Dispute is one of Pauper's pillars today and interacts well with our game plan, although we didn't include Ichor Wellspring to get the most value out of the spell.

Eviscerator's Insight, another new addition to Modern Horizons 3, works as complementary copies of Dispute with the advantage of being castable from the graveyard in longer games, and since Orzhov Rat is more focused on attrition than the Boros versions, it's not difficult for the game to extend to the point where we use it from the graveyard to draw more cards.

Cast Down is still the best targeted removal Pauper has today in Orzhov colors, and while we could run Journey to Nowhere in this slot, the instant speed makes more of a difference than the ability to bounce the enchantment.

Suffocating Fumes is a flexible slot, with a card that we can recycle in games where it is not useful while it makes an absurd difference in Game 1 games against go-wide archetypes or decks with many small creatures, such as Kuldotha Red, Caw- Gates or Faeries.

Sideboard

Affinity is still one of the best decks in the format, and many players have been testing Refurbished Familiar on other archetypes. Therefore, Dust to Dust remains a sideboard staple, and three copies seems the ideal number today.

Dawnbringer Cleric and Thraben Charm are flexible cards that enter several matchups in the current Metagame and, commonly, respond to different situations in the format.

Thraben Charm has been especially relevant as extra removal and graveyard hate in a single card against Tolarian Terror decks, in addition to having important uses even against Affinity as extra removal and a way to respond to Blood Fountain.

Duress enters in games where we want to ensure our threats come into play or games where opponents depend on key cards to function, being a complement to our disruptive plan.

Okiba-Gang Shinobi comes in against attrition decks as a means of draining the opponent's resources, in addition to having interactions with Kor Skyfisher to perform another Ninjutsu with Refurbished Familiar where, together, both creatures make the opponent lose three cards from their hand.

Kuldotha Red is still the most present deck in Magic Online Leagues, and Lone Missionary is the biggest life gain in creature form that Pauper has for two mana. Although it doesn't block as well as Arashin Cleric or Dawnbringer Cleric, the extra life and the exchange with the opponent's 1/2s make a difference in a strategy where, sometimes, we start the game with more than one tapped land.

Nihil Spellbomb comes in as another efficient answer in games where graveyards matter in addition to being a one-mana artifact for Glint Hawk and Refurbished Familiar, and the second copy of Suffocating Fumes helps increase the consistency with which we handle problematic table states for our strategy, especially against Faeries and Caw-Gates.

Grixis Affinity

IN

OUT

Kuldotha Red

IN

OUT

Caw-Gates

IN

OUT

Dimir Faeries

IN

OUT

Gruul Ponza

IN

OUT

That's all for today!

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!